The primary source of this breach, to make a long story short, is the US conservative movement’s rejection of the mainstream institutions devoted to gathering and disseminating knowledge (journalism, science, the academy) — the ones society has appointed as referees in matters of factual dispute.

Liberals still don't get it. The corporate media and public education systems created generations of people who were systematically programmed not to think for themselves. This is the chickens coming home to roost.

Wow it's almost like concepts such as "truth" and "knowledge" aren't universal but are simply constructed through power. If only there were some branch of thought that acknowledged this and people had actually taken it seriously instead of spending decades disparaging it as foolish and baseless.